DT 28946

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28946

A full review by gnomethang

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Morning All! This was pretty standard difficulty for a Saturday with a quick flurry of nice clues.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a           At sea, I’ll float fleet (8)
FLOTILLA – An anagram, appositely indicated by ‘at sea’, of I’LL FLOAT

6a           Walk short way then go on horseback (6)
STRIDE – ST for a short abb. of STREET and then RIDE for ‘go on horseback’.

9a           Influence loud performer (6)
FACTOR – F for loud/Forte and then an ACTOR or performer/thespian.

10a         Short-term worker not on time to produce pattern (8)
TEMPLATE – A charade of TEMP (a short term worker) and LATE for ‘ not on time’.

11a         Sucker’s target? (5-3)
BULL’S EYE – A double definition – An old gobstopper sweet and a target in a dartboard or archery board.

12a         Calm down quickly if captured (6)
PACIFY – Place IF from the clue inside PACY for quickly.

13a         Supports two old railway experts (4,2,6)
PAIR OF BRACES – A lovely charade of PAIR OF (two), BR (the former nationalised/old railway) and ACES for expert.

16a         Powerful man having his way in London? (6,6)
REGENT STREET – A REGENT or powerful man and a STREET for a way/thoroughfare.

19a         Tongue that’s used to make things shiny (6)
POLISH – An old chestnut of two definitions.

21a         Type of fiend that’s found outside (5,3)
FRESH AIR – I had never heard of the phrase ‘FRESH AIR FIEND’ but this is a cryptic definition of someone who opens the windows to make the inside the same temperature s the outside whilst extolling the benefits.

23a         Genuine sportsman staunchly faithful (4-4)
TRUE-BLUE – A charade of TRUE/faithful and an Oxford or Cambridge BLUE (a recognised sportsman for the University).

24a         We backed abandoning the wrong crowd (6)
THRONG – Remove (abandoning) the reversal  (backed) of WE from TH (e w)RONG.

25a         New York perhaps withholding drug — trendy drug (6)
STATIN – Remove (withhold) the E for Ecstasy (Drug) from New York STAT( e) and then add IN for ‘trendy’.

26a         Kind of blue? One follows in leader’s plane (3,5)
AIR FORCE – A blue colour and the Leader of the USA flies in AIR FORCE ONE – that is ONE follows the answer in the leader’s plane. Personally I just wrote the answer in.

Down

2d           About five kilometres for the union (6)
LEAGUE – Two definitions – The distance and also a union of countries.

3d           Small amount, nearly all, everything (5)
TOTAL – A charade of a TOT (small amount) and also nearly all of the word, ahem, AL(l).

4d           Thief left fire-raiser, reportedly (9)
LARCENIST – L for Left and then ARCENIST whic is a reported homophone of ARSONIST or fire-raiser.

5d           Complicated trade with company offering particular style (3,4)
ART DECO – An anagram (complicated) of TRADE and then CO for company.

6d           The last thing maths lecturer might do (3,2)
SUM UP – A cryptic definition of a a closing speech alluded to by a maths guru.

7d           Talent cur misused, not being willing (9)
RELUCTANT – A misused anagram of TALENT CUR.

8d           Shop without obligation? (4-4)
DUTY-FREE – A cryptic definition of the cheaper sale point with the cryptic part alluding to duty = obligation.

13d         Power over living club official (9)
PRESIDENT – P for Power above (over in a down clue) RESIDENT for ‘living’.

14d         One might guard female captured by flier (9)
BEEFEATER – F for Female inside/captured by a BEE-EATER bird/flier.

15d         Short protest about sailor turning politician (8)
DEMOCRAT – A DEMO(nstration) or short protest, C for about/circa and then a reversal (turning) of a TAR or sailor.

17d         Stout upended over cheese is silky stuff (7)
TAFFETA – Reverse/upend FAT for stout and then add FETA cheese.

18d         Meal to take out (6)
PICNIC – A simple cryptic definition with out meaning outdoors.

20d         Lady the lender houses (5)
HELEN – A hidden word is inside (is housed by) t HE LEN der.

22d         Brother’s ring seen underneath instrument (5)
HARPO – Place O for a ring/zero underneath a HARP. One of the Marxes’s